Suchergebnisse

Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) has become considerably common in developing countries, which is a critical factor for driving antibiotic resistance. Individuals involved in SMA generally do not have adequate knowledge regarding the appropriate use, indications and dosage of these drugs. The objective of the present study was to investigate population SMA practices, knowledge and sociodemographic factors associated with SMA in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study adopted a cross-sectional methodology and data collection was performed through an anonymous, structured and pilot-tested questionnaire, which was interview-administered. Inferential statistics and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Out of 480 participants, 55.6% (n = 267) were male with a mean age of 37.1 ± 10.1 years; the total prevalence of SMA was 32.5%. Ciprofloxacin (42.9%) was the most commonly used antibiotic to treat coughs or colds, a runny nose, flu or sore throat, diarrhea or fevers, which were relevant reasons for SMA. Findings from multivariate logistic regression showed that predictors of SMA were: male gender (95% CI: 0.383–1.005), age (95% CI: 0.317–0.953) and highest level of education (95% CI: 0.961–0.649). Despite reasonable access to healthcare facilities, people are still obtaining antibiotics without prescription, bypassing diagnostic and consultative healthcare services. Thus, the government must implement strict healthcare policies to restrict the sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, while at the same time, targeted public awareness campaigns about the proper use of antibiotics are also required.

PurposeThe paper aims to explore the process of identity regulation and identity creation on social media for employees in the IT sector of India and how this process is different for men and women.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the thematic analysis of in-depth interviews of 31 IT professionals.FindingsThe authors find that identity regulation and identity creation is a complex process when it is mediated on social media as cues and guidelines for professionals are ambiguous. Enriching Ibarra's model of identity creation, the authors find that this process consists of five steps: (1) motivation to build a desirable self, (2) experimenting with identity boundaries, (3) failed identity experiences, (4) active self-regulation and (5) enacting inauthentic selves. The authors further find that this self-regulation for men is driven by the pressure to conform to the identity of an ideal "corporate man", whereas for women it is driven by the need to conform to societal and cultural expectations.Practical implicationsSince identity regulation is a cognitively demanding process that affects both the productivity and well-being of employees, organisations can proactively help employees manage their social media presence through training and mentorship programmes.Originality/valueThe paper provides an enriched version of Ibarra's (1999) model on identity creation and regulation and highlights the role of gender in the process. The paper is practically relevant as it provides a window into how employees can feel the need to manifest inauthentic selves which is cognitively demanding.

The process of out-migration has significantly been associated with the welfare of the households at origin across the world. The process of migration is mainly initiated from Pakistan with a prime objective to elevate the social position as there are only a few opportunities left for the people to work and earn for livings. The overall size of international migrants from Sindh province is a handful (approximately .9 million) and the majority of these migrants moved to the Gulf region but some also moved to the rest of the world particularly in Europe and the US. The impact of migration can be seen on many aspects of households of migrants but for the current research, it is focused only on female children's education in the case of Khairpur (Mir's) district in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The selection of the respondents was made by using purposive sampling technique. The data was collected from 120 households of migrants who at least had one member living abroad and sending remittances regularly. The focus of the current research was on two major aspects; (a) out-migration and inflow of remittances and (b) educational outcomes of the female children studying at primary school level. It is perceived that migration of father and subsequently the inflow of remittances can make a huge difference for the educational outcomes of female children. In some cases, the inflow of remittances leads toward the improvement in the educational performance of the female children.